Knowledge on assessment inferred from the partograph among obstetric care providers in public hospitals in Southwest and Northwest Regions, Cameroon 2016.

<p>Knowledge on assessment inferred from the partograph among obstetric care providers in public hospitals in Southwest and Northwest Regions, Cameroon 2016.</p

Knowledge and utilization of the partograph: A cross-sectional survey among obstetric care providers in urban referral public health institutions in northwest and southwest Cameroon

<div><p>Background</p><p>The enormous challenge to maternal well-being with associated maternal wastages during labour has remained an unsurmountable problem in Cameroon which reflects the current high maternal mortality rate. Evidence abounds that cost-effective and affordable health interventions like the use of the partograph will contribute to curb the alarming number of intrapartum maternal deaths. However, little is known about the level of knowledge and utilization of this simple life-saving tool in the North–and South–West Regions, Cameroon.</p><p>Methods</p><p>Using a self-administered structured questionnaire, a cross-sectional study was conducted from January 4^th–March 25^th 2016 among non-physician obstetric care providers (OCPs) across urban public health institutions in these regions. Logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with good knowledge and routine utilization of the partograph.</p><p>Results</p><p>Of the 79 eligible participants, 71 (89.9%) took part in the study. The mean age of the respondents was 37.9±10.0 years with majority being female (85.9%). Less than one-third (29.6%) of the respondents had good knowledge on the partograph and only 23 (32.4%) routinely used it in monitoring labour. OCPs working in Maternal and Infant Welfare Clinics were about 4 times more likely than those working in Regional/District Hospitals to have good knowledge on the partograph [AOR = 3.88 (95% CI:1.07–14.04)], <i>p</i> = 0.04. Little or no knowledge of the partograph and poor staff strength in the study centres were factors militating against its routine use.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>The knowledge and use of the partograph in this study is sub-optimal. Regular in-service training of OCPs superimposed with periodic workshops and seminars, provision of reasonable staff numbers, and mandatory institutional policies on routine use of the partograph are recommended as vital first steps towards ensuring the safety of women in labour in the North–and South–West Regions of Cameroon.</p></div

Utilization of the partograph among obstetric care providers in public hospitals in Southwest and Northwest Regions, Cameroon 2016.

<p>Utilization of the partograph among obstetric care providers in public hospitals in Southwest and Northwest Regions, Cameroon 2016.</p

Determinants of good knowledge on the partograph among obstetric care providers in public hospitals in Southwest and Northwest Regions, Cameroon 2016.

<p>Determinants of good knowledge on the partograph among obstetric care providers in public hospitals in Southwest and Northwest Regions, Cameroon 2016.</p

Sociodemographic characteristics of study participants.

<p>Sociodemographic characteristics of study participants.</p